Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as reservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. In a variety of subsea applications, a landing string is conveyed down to a subsea well head to facilitate a variety of subsea operations, such as subsea completion operations, flow testing operations, intervention operations, and other subsea well operations. In some applications, the landing string comprises a weak link which enables severing of the landing string upon the occurrence of certain events. During preparation and deployment of the landing string, the weak link potentially can incur detrimental bending loads. Additionally, severance at the weak link and removal of the upper portion of the landing string can create torn control line hoses, damaged components, and debris which can cause delays due to cleanup prior to running a subsequent landing string.